Multi-access terminal with capability for simultaneous connectivity to multiple communication channels
US7539175B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Nov 18, 2005 |
| Grant date | May 26, 2009 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Aug 4, 2026 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH04W88/02
- WIPO fieldDigital communication
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
An apparatus is disclosed for permitting a mobile terminal having multiple, heterogeneous network connections (e.g., multiple wired or wireless transceivers of various types) to set up and maintain virtual connections over multiple networks to either the same or to multiple destinations. The mobile terminal can “load-share” traffic, i.e., it can distribute segments of traffic over a full set of heterogeneous networks, significantly improving the reliability and availability of communications. In a first embodiment, a mobile terminal is configured with multiple radio frequency (RF) transceivers. Operating system software is provided for dynamically establishing and maintaining traffic flow for user applications over multiple communications paths, and for automatically adapting to variations in the networking environment, application traffic flow requirements, end user preferences, or mobility. In a second embodiment, a software-defined radio is used to implement the physical layer protocols for each desired network, eliminating the need for multiple transceivers.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.